Mayhem at the Mall!
by Mahala
Summary: AKA Misunderstandings, Malls and Moose! One-shot written for Leslie Emm's second fanfic challenge – The Twelve Quotes of Christmas. Choose a character. Choose a quote. Write a story! I chose Mac T. and Quote #6. This is definitely AU, OOC and quite possibly a large number of other abbreviations. Just for fun ... oh ... and only for JAC fans!


This is a one-shot written for Leslie Emm's second fanfic challenge – The Twelve Quotes of Christmas. As I got a little depressed writing In the Blink of an Eye, this is an antidote. In order to get the quote into the fic I have allowed myself more than a little artistic license but I have highlighted the words to prove I'm not cheating... This is just for fun and not to be taken seriously. I confess to it being more than a little AU and OOC and definitely only for JAC fans! Merry Christmas to all in fanfic and thanks to all you brilliant authors for your wonderful stories from a very appreciative Mahala.

**Mac T. and Quote #6**

**Went Christmas shopping today. Got shoved, poked, pinched, groped and felt up. **

**I enjoyed it so much I'm going back tomorrow.**

* * *

Jo Danville threw herself onto her couch, pulled up her favourite throw and hugged her favourite '_I luv my Mom_' cushion. She hated herself, she hated life, she hated Christmas and most of all she hated him. At that moment she would have given anything to have Ellie home for a cuddle and a shoulder to cry on but then how on earth would she explain to her daughter that the man she was in love with had discarded her for another. Jo scrubbed angrily at her eyes. She'd be damned if she'd cry over him even though that was exactly what she felt like doing. She clicked on the television and tried to concentrate on the news report about the so-called Blade Raiders, a trio of robbers sporting all-black outfits and roller blades that had hit half a dozen of the city's jewellery stores over the past month. Jo was glad that that particular media nightmare wasn't theirs. She knew the robbery squad were pulling their hair out over that one. She grabbed the glass of wine from the table in front of her and swallowed a large mouthful but it did nothing to help her despair.

Jo couldn't understand it. They had worked together for almost two years and the past few weeks they had grown closer and then last week he'd suddenly asked her out to dinner. It had been wonderful. A quiet, romantic little restaurant, great food, great wine, great company. And then there was the walk home! The Christmas lights had seemed to sparkle just for them. The cold air had shimmered with a few flakes of snow promising a white Christmas. She recalled his arm around her as he guided her over the icy road, the scent of his cologne in her nostrils, the warmth of his body next to hers, his lips on her cheek as he kissed her goodnight and how her nights had been filled of dreams full of promise. And then there was this afternoon when her dreams had been shattered, her heart ripped out and her hopes torn to shreds.

.*.*.*.

As it had been a relatively quiet week most staff had left early to finish their Christmas shopping and she had hung back a little waiting for her moment. She hadn't meant to spy on him. She had merely stepped into his office in hope that there might be an invitation to repeat the dinner or even spend part of the Christmas weekend together. His back had been turned to her unaware of her presence and at first she hadn't noticed the phone pressed to his ear. She had hesitated on the threshold not wanting to intrude. Then she heard him laugh, a low soft rumble that vibrated through her body and her stomach clenched in anticipation.

"Okay I'll be off in half an hour. I'll come and pick you up and then how about we go skating and get hot chocolate afterwards?" He had laughed again as he listened to the response but this time her stomach clenched, not in anticipation but in dread. It was his next words that broke her heart. "That's not a problem. I tell you what, why don't you pack a bag and sleep over at my place. Okay. See you in a bit. Love you too." He hung up the call and turned around to see Jo but she hadn't been able to speak. His final words had rung in her head and stabbed into her heart. She felt such a fool. How could she have been so stupid? She had muttered some vague good night and fled his office pretending not to hear him call after her desperately trying to control the tears that now threatened to soak her favourite cushion.

She pulled herself together as her phone rang with a familiar tone. She knew it was Ellie calling. "Hey Ellie! … No I'm fine. … Oh okay, sure. Give me forty minutes … Okay I'll see you there." Jo didn't feel like going out but Ellie had sounded so excited and having pizza with her daughter was better than sitting indoors feeling sorry for herself. She clicked off the television, ignored the wine, threw off the throw and smoothed out the cushion. She smiled at the message and wiped her eyes. "Damn you Mac Taylor!"

.*.*.*.

Mac stared up in dread at the four floors of glass and steel rising above him. The glittering silver Christmas stars appeared to magically hang suspended in mid-air, their transparent cables invisible to all those that stood beneath and stared up at the display. All around crowds of excited shoppers pushed and fought their way into the overcrowded stores, their arms full of gifts and their voices raised so as to be heard above the clamour and the tinny Christmas muzak that malls seemed to think shoppers wanted to hear. Mac thought if he heard Jingle Bells once more he may well go mad. _What on earth had possessed him to come here? He hated __**Christmas shopping**__._

"Isn't it pretty?" Mac looked down at his god-daughter clinging to his left hand and couldn't help but smile at the look of pure amazement on her face as she stared at the multitude of silver stars above her head.

"Yes it is. Now where do you want to go first?" Mac pulled her slightly closer as a group of teenage boys rudely **shoved** their way past ignoring Mac's glare.

"Let's go look at the fair!" Lucy pointed to the stalls that had been set up in the centre of the mall. "They've got cotton candy!"

"Lucy, we're here to get Mommy and Daddy a present remember not to get cotton candy," muttered Mac as he guided her towards the stalls wondering whether he'd have time to get his gifts. Mac rolled his eyes as he wondered what bright spark had come up with the idea of making extra money out of the Christmas shoppers by setting up a miniature fairground. In addition to the stalls selling a variety of foods including cotton candy and popcorn, there were a number of old fashioned fairground rides and games. Toddlers squealed as the miniature carousel spun them around while their exhausted parents looked on with looks of despair wondering how much more Christmas shopping they could take. Mac looked down at Lucy wondering whether she would want a ride but she seemed absorbed in stall selling some hi-tech looking spinning tops for an exorbitant price. After a moment they wandered on past a cookie stall. Mac's stomach rumbled as he remembered how long it had been since he ate lunch. Then Lucy stopped by a stall selling traditional wooden toys. She watched fascinated as the stall-holder demonstrated a wooden tumbling clown that flipped it's way down the ladder before being expertly turned to repeat the same manoeuvre again. Mac's smile turned to a grin as Lucy looked up at him giggling at the man's antics. Then she spotted the bouncy castle until something else caught her attention.

"Ooo!" Lucy squealed and pointed. "Look Uncle Mac. Flufflings!" Mac followed her gaze and saw she was pointing at a stand a few yards away. Suddenly Mac felt himself tugged in that direction as Lucy hauled on his arm, holding onto his hand with a death-grip as she made her way towards it. Mac bumped into an attractive young woman in an elf costume holding a handful of multi-coloured helium balloons attached to strings that bobbed above her head. He muttered an apology but was unable to stop as Lucy was now in full motion. Within seconds he found himself standing in front of a traditional high-striker.

"Step up. Step up! Test your strength and a win a prize. All proceeds to the children's ward at Trinity. Step up! Step up!" The heavy set man with a broad grin, a fake moustache and a nineteen twenties pin-striped outfit waved a hand to encourage a group of youngsters to have a go. "All for charity. Come along and test your strength," he bawled.

Mac watched as one of the young men who had bumped into him earlier stepped up to impress his friends. He handed over his money and picked up the mallet and flung it over his shoulder. His friends goaded him on. With a grunt he hefted the mallet and swung. Mac shook his head slightly as he calculated that most of the young man's energy had been put into the effort of getting the hammer from off his shoulder. The mallet came down and hit the lever with a dull clang, the puck rose into the air but fell away well short of the bell. The young man's friends jeered him and another one stepped up to try. He handed over his money and grinned cockily at the crowd. He took a swing but his aim was off and it bounced against the right hand side of the rubber pad of the lever. His friends laughed as the puck barely made it to his friend's height and he looked slightly annoyed.

"Oh Uncle Mac please!" Lucy stretched out the please in one long syllable as she looked up at Mac with doe eyes. Mac looked down at her and opened his mouth aghast when he felt a **poke**.

"Oh go on … uncle … Mac!" There was a heavy emphasis on the word 'uncle'.

Mac turned around astonished to see Ellie grinning at him. "Ellie?" He looked around hopefully but Jo was nowhere in sight. He felt disappointed. "What are you doing here?" Mac cringed inwardly as he realized how ridiculous that question sounded as he spotted the bag in her hand. Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Shopping of course. I had to get Mom a present." She jiggled the bag. "Go on Mac. Have a go. I'm sure Lucy would love a Fluffling wouldn't you Luce?" Lucy nodded enthusiastically and looked hopefully at her godfather. Mac realized that the man operating the high-striker was looking pointedly at him as were the group of teenagers who, by the looks on their faces, clearly thought he wasn't up to it.

"Step right up Sir. It's all for a good cause." Mac huffed.

"Okay, Lucy, but hold Ellie's hand." Lucy squealed with joy and did as she was told. Mac dug into his pocket and handed over his money. He pulled off his coat and tossed it onto a nearby toadstool that made up part of a rather strange, almost sinister looking woodland scene. Surrounded by glistening white fibre-optic Christmas trees stood a cluster of animatronic animals including a gigantic moose that stared at him nodding it's head ominously while several gift-bearing elves with evil smiles appeared to watch his every move. Somehow even the fluffy white rabbit with the waving paw appeared menacing. Mac grimaced slightly and came to the conclusion that he really needed a vacation.

He stepped up to the high-striker ignoring the sniggers of the young men. He thought he caught the words '_old guy_'. Mac bristled as he picked up the mallet. He estimated it at about ten pounds. He looked up at the bell. It wasn't the tallest one he had ever seen but he put it at about fifteen feet. He reached down and gently pushed the lever noting the thick rubber padding above and below. He did a quick calculation and carefully positioned his feet on either side backing away slightly. He lifted the mallet high positioning it accurately over the lever. He allowed gravity to start the swing for him and then he put his whole weight behind it. The mallet struck, the lever tipped, the puck flew up and a resounding ding echoed around.

"And we have a winner!" The man in the stripy trousers sounded impressed.

Mac put down the mallet and turned around with a smug smile. Ellie's mouth was wide open. Clearly she had not expected him to do it. Neither had the group of teenagers who looked almost as surprised as Ellie. Lucy was the only one not surprised. "Yeah!" She clapped her hands and jumped up and down. "The pink one! The pink one!" she clamoured as the operator reached up and pulled down the chosen toy from the shelf.

"There you go young lady!" The man smiled at Mac. "Congratulations Sir." He turned back to the crowds. "Who else wants to test their strength? All proceeds to the children's ward at Trinity. Step up! Step up!" Lucy threw her arms around his legs hugging him with all her strength.

"Thank you Uncle Mac!" Lucy held up the ball of pink fur whose only feature appeared to be two enormous eyes. "Isn't he gorgeous?" She squeezed it and it emitted a series of loud high-pitched grunts and groans. Mac stared at it somewhat shocked by the rather intense sounds coming from Lucy's new toy. He dreaded to think what Danny and Lindsay were going to say when they heard it.

"It's really cute Lucy." Ellie gushed. Lucy squeezed it again. Mac looked at her enraptured face and then suspiciously at the toy that continued to emit a series of rather frenzied Ooh's and Aah's. He was not sure cute was the term he'd use to describe it. In fact it reminded him of a number of illicit videos that currently resided in the NYPD evidence locker. But Lucy was clearly enamoured as she cuddled it. "Hey I'm meeting Mom for pizza. You guys wanna' come."

"Can we Uncle Mac?" Lucy gazed at him adoringly. "Please!"

Mac smiled as his stomach rumbled again. That sounded like a great idea. "Sure but first we have to get your Mom and Dad a Christmas present. That's why we're here remember?"

"Oh! Okay." Lucy looked around the mall suddenly overwhelmed by the number of stores. Her face fell. "I don't know what to get Uncle Mac and I only have ten dollars."

Ellie turned Lucy to face her. "That's okay. How about you get them a nice Christmas decoration to put on the table? You know with candles and bows and holly." Lucy's eyes lit up. She adored candles and bows. "There's a store upstairs with lots of different ones and they're on sale so you won't have to spend all your money." Ellie pointed to the escalators but Lucy shook her head and pointed to the futuristic glass elevator in the centre of the mall. She smiled at them hopefully and Mac nodded.

Just as Mac was about to follow he felt a little **pinch** on his upper arm. He turned to see the balloon-bearing elf. "Hey there Muscles, don't forget your jacket." She nodded at the toadstool next to the nodding moose and then winked at him before walking away with the sexiest wiggle Mac thought he had ever seen on an elf.

Mac scooped up his jacket taking one last wary look at the creepy moose and jogged after the girls who were keen to ride the glass elevator. As it was getting late most people were coming down so they had no problem getting in but that didn't mean there was a lot of room. At the last minute a large woman with mounds of blond hair piled high on her head and several bags dangling off one arm pushed her way on forcing them to the edge of the circular lift. She gave Mac an apologetic smile. He nodded and smiled back politely. Lucy stared at the glass floor in fascination as they rose into the air. Mac had to admit it did look like they were suspended in mid-air.

"Ooo look Uncle Mac. You can see the all the fair and the bouncy castle." Mac rolled his eyes as he had a feeling that was where they might be heading next. The elevator glided to a stop and a man pushed his way past forcing Mac to squeeze up against the buxom woman with the handful of bags who appeared to be still eyeing him. Mac apologized politely and she leered at him through red-rimmed glasses. As the man pushed past her she pushed back against Mac.

"Oh wait! The store's on this floor. Come on Luce!" Ellie grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her out. It took Mac a second to register that they were leaving and he dived out of the elevator just as the doors began to close. However he froze the moment he stepped out and turned back to stare at the glass doors in dismay. The woman smiled back at him pursing her bright red lips into a kiss. He stood there shocked watching the car disappear to the floor above. "Come on Mac. This way," urged Ellie. Mac turned around slowly his face registering shock. Ellie tugged at his sleeve and giggled. "Oh come on Mac. Don't tell me it's the first time you've been **groped** in an elevator," she whispered. Mac's jaw dropped as Ellie had clearly witnessed what had happened. "Wait till I tell Mom about that one!"

"What's wrong Uncle Mac?" asked Lucy innocently.

"I don't think Uncle Mac likes elevators Lucy." Ellie grinned at Mac's discomfort evidenced by his reddening cheeks.

Lucy looked at him quite seriously, her brows drawn together in concern. "That's okay Uncle Mac. We can take the escalators on the way down … and you can hold my hand."

.*.*.*.

The next fifteen minutes passed in a haze as Mac tried to come to terms with his close encounter while Ellie and Lucy spent the time selecting a beautiful centrepiece with a carved silver candle set among little silk holly and ivy leaves. Mac stood in the shop doorway watching the girls line up to pay. A deep throated laugh came from just behind his right shoulder.

"Couldn't resist impressing the ladies huh, Taylor?"

Mac spun round and bit his lip in embarrassment as he spotted Giles Morcott, a retired NYPD Detective who was staring in amusement at the large pink ball of fluff in Mac's arms. "Oh er … you saw that huh?" At the look on Mac's face, Giles burst out laughing making his beer belly shake like a jelly. The two men shook hands.

"Oh yeah. I was on the walkway right above you. I take it that's Danny Messer's girl." Mac nodded. Giles screwed up his ruddy, crinkled face. "Amazing how fast they grow. She's certainly got you wrapped around her little finger." He grimaced and gestured with his thumb. "I'm here with the wife and her sister. Who knew it would take so long to pick out socks and greetings cards?" Mac could sympathise having watched the girls take what seemed like hours to choose their gift.

"How's retirement Giles?"

Giles scrubbed at his short grey hair and wrinkled his whiskered chin. "Not so bad. A few too many hours in the day especially when the wife wants to go shopping!" Mac laughed. "Oh-oh, here come your girls." Giles glanced down the row of stores where two women were waving frantically at him. "And there are mine ..." he added heavily. "Merry Christmas Mac!" Mac laughed and returned the greeting as Ellie and Lucy came hurrying towards him.

"Come on Mac. We've just got time to get the scouts to wrap the gift before we have to meet Mom." Ellie pointed to one of the aerial walkways that allowed shoppers to cross from one side of the mall to other without going all the way round. There were a group of scouts who had set up tables and were busily wrapping gifts under the watchful eye of a dark-haired woman with a definite air of superiority. Mac followed the girls as they joined the line. He peered at them suspiciously as Ellie counted the money left in Lucy's purse whispering to Lucy as she did so. He could have sworn he had heard the words 'change', 'bouncy castle' and 'cotton candy' in the same phrase. The slightly guilty looks on their faces confirmed his suspicions but before he could say anything, the person in front of them moved away. They took their turn at the table where a bespectacled young boy with a mop of ginger hair and freckles who appeared to have his tongue permanently glued to the corner of his mouth began to wrap Lucy's present. Surprisingly he seemed quite the expert.

Suddenly a sharp crack split the air followed by the sound of breaking glass. A number of screams echoed across the mall. Everyone looked round wondering where the noise had come from. Mac turned around quickly scanning the now thinning crowds. At the far side of the mall a figure dressed in black from head to toe appeared silhouetted in front of a brightly lit lingerie store that stood next to a high-end jewellery outlet. The figure moved smoothly and very rapidly. Another figure appeared behind him. Mac recognized them immediately as the jewellery thieves giving his friend John in the robbery squad grief. They were heading towards him down the right hand side of the mall pushing shoppers out of their way as they went. Several people were pushed over and others jumped into shop doorways to get out of their way. Clearly the thieves were aiming for the escalators just behind him.

Mac dumped his jacket and the Fluffling. "Everyone, stay here and get down. Take cover. Lucy, stay with Ellie. Get behind the table." Mac glared at the scout leader. "Watch them." As though it were nothing out of the ordinary, the scout leader gathered her children together along with Ellie and Lucy as Mac took off towards the right aiming to intercept the two thieves.

At the far side of the mall, alerted by the same sounds, Giles Morcott whirled around as his wife and her sister entered another store. He watched as the two men in black sped down the far side then he spied Mac break into a run. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. He turned to the people nearest him. "Everyone in the store now. And stay there."

"Giles!" squealed his wife. He ignored her and broke into a jog pulling out his phone as he did so.

Mac calculated that the perps would reach the intersection where his walkway joined their aisle before him. However, luck was on his side. Just before the junction two brightly coloured plastic urns stood against the glass and steel balustrade. Mac put on a final spurt, jumped into the air and slammed a foot into the nearest urn. It toppled into the second one sending them both crashing to the floor. A myriad of multi-coloured gum-balls flew across the floor into the path of the first man who panicked at the sight. He lost control and went flying into a pillar with a resounding bang, his roller-blades spinning uselessly in the air. He screamed in agony and clutched at his leg. Mac winced as he suspected the masked figure had almost certainly broken something in his tumble.

Ignoring him Mac took off after the second thief who although he had managed to stop in time had been forced to drop to his knees. He dragged himself up, his roller-blades spinning wildly on the tiled floor and tried to head back the way he had come. However he didn't count on a hundred and sixty pounds of crime lab supervisor slamming into him.

"NYPD. Stay down!" growled Mac as he twisted the man's arm up behind his back. He turned back to look at the other man who was still rolling on the floor clutching his leg. He noticed that a dozen people were peering at him in amazement from the doorway of a nearby menswear store. He smiled at them reassuringly and then punched his wriggling perp in the shoulder as he let fly with a stream of expletives regarding Mac's parentage or lack thereof. "Shut up!"

"Mac!" Giles jogged up and knelt down beside him. "You okay? Back-up's on its way."

Mac nodded and then looked at Giles strangely. "You wear a tie to go shopping?" Giles shrugged and muttered something about his wife. "Can I borrow it?" Giles looked perplexed for a moment until Mac said, "No cuffs!" Giles happily obliged and pulled off his tie but then he noticed something.

"Mac! The bag man!" Mac followed his gaze. A third masked figure carrying a black cloth bag was making his way down the far side and had almost reached the escalators. "Go! I'll take care of this guy." If the unfortunate thief thought Mac was heavy, it was nothing compared to the full weight of Giles Morcott. He gave up the fight.

Mac got up and headed back towards the walkway where the steely eyed scout mistress was hovering over her charges like a mother eagle. Mac spied Ellie and Lucy peering at him from behind a table. He stopped at the balustrade and for a second his eyes met those of the third man who had made it to the head of the escalators. Mac swore under his breath; he could have sworn the man was smiling under his mask. _Where the hell was back-up when he needed them? There was no way that he was going to make it down there unless _… He looked down. He was sure he was going to regret this.

.*.*.*.

Ellie held tightly onto Lucy the minute that Mac had sped off. She had watched in amazement as he kicked over the gum-ball machine and then floored one of the men with a flying tackle. Ellie idly wondered if he had played football when he was younger and if it was unhygienic to pick up some of the gum-balls that had rolled their way. Now she stood with Lucy held tightly against her. Her eyes widened as she watched as Mac put a foot on the balustrade. He shot her a reassuring smile and then he launched himself over the bar. Ellie thought her heart was about to stop. All the people around then ran to the edge and looked down. Lucy pressed her face up against the glass.

"Kick butt Uncle Mac!" she yelled much to the astonishment of the people around her.

"Lucy!"

Lucy looked up at Ellie sheepishly. "Sorry!" Then she turned back to watch her god-father descend somewhat inelegantly from the bouncy castle. "Go get him Uncle Mac!"

Mac barely had time to scramble to his feet before the third thief glided towards him. Glad that he had rubber soled shoes he sprinted across the floor and launched himself at the man and they both went flying into the animatronic Christmas display. They went down heavily accidentally crushing the fluffy rabbit, sending two of the elves skittering across the floor and decapitating the nodding moose. As Mac tried to disentangle himself from the trailing lights, he felt something hard collide with his ribs. The breath seemed to be knocked from his lungs leaving him gasping. He flew backwards into a Christmas tree that toppled on top of him, his head cracking painfully on the toadstool he had used earlier as a coat-stand. For a moment he saw stars and he absently wondered if this was due to the tree on top of him or the object he had hit. He lay still for a second as pain surged through his ribs, back and head. He groaned automatically placing a hand to his left hand side. As the pain faded and the world seemed to right itself, the tree disappeared and he felt a second pair of hands moving over him and a soft feminine voice asking if he was all right. Given his earlier experience he had visions of the blond woman from the elevator but then he caught a whiff of a familiar perfume and a soft southern accent penetrated his hazy brain. He smiled as he realized who was **feeling him up**. He opened his eyes and her worried face came into view.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt? Say something!"

"Hey Jo!" He grinned at her. "I'm good."

Jo peered down at him as she sat back on her heels. She arched an eyebrow. "Really?" Mac flinched at the sarcasm in her voice. He pulled himself to a sitting position and looked around. The whole mall now seemed to be flooded with uniforms. He hauled himself upright and tested out his ribs. He was heartened to discover that nothing moved which meant he hadn't broken them and he was also glad to see his rather disgruntled looking perp being cuffed by two police officers. He looked up and acknowledged Giles' wave from the balcony. He scanned the faces that peered down at him and he felt his heart clench when he was unable to spot his god-daughter. He looked around and was about to ask Jo where Ellie was when Jo let loose. "What on earth were you thinking?" she hissed. "What kind of dumb-assed, idiotic stunt do you call that?" She waved her hand at the bouncy castle which now appeared to be leaning at a slightly strange angle. Mac grimaced slightly as he realized that may be due to him and that perhaps they weren't as strong as he had hoped. "How could you be so reckless? I suppose you were showing off for her," she spat, her voice low and intense. Mac's eyes flicked back to Jo's. He was surprised to see how angry she looked. Moreover she almost appeared hurt.

"What? Jo I wouldn't ..."

"Wouldn't what? Pull some crazy stunt to impress a woman? You should know better at your age."

Mac's jaw dropped. _What the hell was she talking about?_ He noticed her eyes flicking over the crowds that were warily watching from a distance. Mac followed her gaze wondering who or what she was looking for. Suddenly a little figure wriggled its way through the crowd and flung herself into Mac's arms.

"Uncle Mac. You got him! I knew you would." Lucy lowered her voice. "But you do know you've broken the moose?"

Mac smiled down at his god-daughter and then looked back at the scenery. He pulled a face and Lucy giggled.

"That was totally awesome!" Ellie grinned at Mac. Jo glared at Ellie and then at Mac then she looked at Lucy. She blinked then looked around before turning back to the little girl.

"Lucy?"

"Hi Auntie Jo. Did you see Uncle Mac? He jumped off the balcony onto the bouncy castle and he caught three bad guys and he won a Fluffling for me at the fair!" Lucy held up her toy for Jo to see. Jo stared at Lucy her mouth open. "Isn't he cute? His name is Fluff. Are we going for pizza now?"

Mac grinned. "Yeah, Lucy do you think you could go with Ellie and Auntie Jo while I tie up a few loose ends here. I'll catch up with you."

Lucy looked disappointed. "Are we still going skating?"

Mac knelt. "Absolutely. And for hot chocolate too. I promise. I just need to tell these officers what happened and … er … fix the moose but I'll be along soon. Perhaps you can order for me. Okay?"

"Okay."

Mac looked at Jo. "Is that okay with you?" Jo looked at him blankly.

"Mom? Er … I said Mac and Lucy could come have pizza with us. That's okay isn't it?" Jo stared at her daughter. Then it dawned on her. Jo clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Lucy," she mumbled. "It's Lucy." Mac and Ellie exchanged confused glances. Clearly they were missing something. Either that or Jo needed a vacation more than Mac did.

"Uncle Mac, can Ellie and Auntie Jo come skating too?" Mac nodded. "Cool." A sudden thought struck the little girl. "Uncle Mac we could all have a sleepover."

Mac coughed as Ellie waggled her eyebrows at him. Jo burst out laughing. "Oh Lucy!"

.*.*.*.

Jo tucked her legs underneath her as she leaned back into the multitude of cushions on her couch. She looked up at Mac from under her lashes. She had never seen him look so stunned.

"You thought that I … " he spluttered. " … with another woman ..." Jo gave a small embarrassed shrug. "You mean that was why you rushed off without barely a word?" She smiled sheepishly at him. "What kind of man do you think I am? No wait .. what was it you said .. dumb-assed … idiotic … reckless … show-off ..." Jo cringed as he recalled her words from earlier.

"I'm sorry. I was upset and when I saw you jump, I thought … I don't know what I thought … I'm sorry." She looked so forlorn that Mac thought his heart would break. He reached out a hand to caress her cheek and leaned across intending to plant a kiss on her cheek. The room resounded with a series of somewhat suggestive moans. Mac froze. Jo almost shot out of her skin.

"Mom!" Mac and Jo turned around to spy Ellie in her pyjamas half-way across the room with a glass of milk. She was staring at them with saucer-like eyes. "Geez! Keep it down will ya? Lucy's not asleep yet!" Jo's mouth dropped open. Mac grimaced and dug a hand under the cushions in between them. He pulled out the offending article and held it out to Ellie.

"Perhaps you like to give this to Lucy." Ellie grabbed the pink ball of fluff with a cheeky grin and disappeared in the direction of her bedroom. He looked at Jo whose face was almost as pink as the toy's. He burst out laughing.

"Mac Taylor!" she hissed. "That is not funny!" Clearly Mac disagreed with her as he doubled over holding his bruised ribs. Jo sighed and eventually joined in. "Kids!" She pulled the cushions out the way and scooted across the couch tucking herself into his embrace. "I really enjoyed this evening. I didn't know you could skate."

Mac smiled colouring slightly. "I'll have you know that I'm a man of many talents. At least I didn't fall over." Jo giggled as she recalled his valiant efforts to stay upright. Then a thought struck him. "Agh!"

Jo felt a moment of panic. "What?"

"I never actually got round to buying my gifts."

Jo relaxed. "That's okay. Neither did I. Don't worry, the mall will still be open tomorrow. We can go together."

Mac sighed in despair as he contemplated the thought of going back on the last **shopping** day before **Christmas**. He'd already **got shoved, poked, pinched, groped and** … he looked down at Jo snuggled up against him and smiled … **felt up** but he'd **enjoyed** the rest of **it so much** he had no problem with **going back tomorrow**. Besides he still had to fix that damned moose!

.

.

**A/N. Disclaimer, I don't own Mac or Flufflings! Pity! Dear Santa ...**


End file.
